Deathly Christmas (18 page)

“How do you possibly think you’ll get away with it, James? You’ll have to kill all of us?” Eve asked.

She was trembling, but was determined not let it show. She had been in these situations before and got out of them.

“Don’t you think I know that?” James snapped at Eve. “Oh, Jane, why did you have to find us? I would only have had to get rid of Paul. It would have been so much easier.”

Jane bowed her head, still weeping. Both Paul and Eve wanted to put their arms around her and give her some comfort.

Eve studied James. He looked anxious. Perhaps he wouldn’t go through with it. Three people were a lot to kill and she didn’t think he wasn’t a seasoned murderer, even though he’d killed his aunt.

And Eve had no doubt that he did love Jane, but he was in a mess now. The only alternative he had was to lock them up somewhere where they wouldn’t be found for some time and get away from the island. He would have to forget about the money and go on the run. Would he want to do that?

James sat down looking stressed, gun pointing at the three of them.

Eve watched him carefully.

He doesn’t know what to do. There’s too many of us. Perhaps he’ll cave and give himself up. 

Paul was thinking almost the same thing. James hadn’t planned to kill all three of them, but perhaps he would go crazy with fear and shoot them anyway. Then he would drive off, hoping to disappear somewhere in the mountains.

James got up and checked the locks on the windows and doors. They all watched him and Jane started sobbing again. Paul moved closer and tried to rub his arm against hers. He so wanted to give her a hug, but that touch was enough to calm her.

“I’m locking you in here for a moment, but I’ll be back soon, so don’t get any ideas,” James said as he left the room.

“Oh, I’m so sorry about this, Jane. I feel it’s all my fault,” Eve said. “I should never have encouraged you to go out with James. We should have remained on guard after the first time he was arrested, but we didn’t believe he was guilty.”

“I did,” Paul said, having managed to get the tape off his mouth. “The tape wasn’t very strong, Jane. Keep trying to move your mouth and it might come off.”

She nodded.

“Yes,” Eve said to Paul. “You were the only sensible one.”

“Well, I don’t know. I wasn’t sure if he did kill my mother. I knew they were close; she told me that, so I thought it strange he told Jane he didn’t like her. I was worried the police might suspect me if they knew I was her long lost son, so I kept my mouth shut. Bit stupid really.”

“Perhaps; but you’re right. You would have been a suspect, probably their major suspect.”

“There, done it,” Jane said, finally managing to get the tape off her mouth.

 “How are you, Jane?” Paul asked, looking concerned. “I know this must be awful for you.”

“No, it’s not turning out to be the best day of my life. I can’t believe I fell in love with such a monster. And you warned me, Paul. Oh why didn’t I take any notice of you? Why?”

“James bowled you over,” Paul said sadly. “I was hoping to do that, but unfortunately, it was him who captivated you.”

“Thank you for trying to comfort me a little while ago, Paul, despite being tied up. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. I wish you hadn’t come in and seen this, but then James might have got rid of me and you’d have been left with a killer. Who knows when he might have struck again?”

Jane smiled.

How sweet. He’s only thinking of me, not of himself.

Why had she fallen for such an evil man? Then she remembered the previous evening and the wonderful meal. It had been a perfect night. James had been both passionate and tender and she could hardly believe that he was a cold blooded killer.

“So what are we going to do, Paul?” Eve asked, feeling they were wasting time.

“I don’t know if there is anything we can do,” Paul replied. “I’ve been wriggling my hands and feet, but the ropes have been tied much too tightly.”

“Mine have been too,” Eve said, while Jane just nodded.

James came back into the room carrying three syringes.

“No, James,” Jane cried out. “Please don’t hurt us.”

“I see you’ve got your tape off? And you too, Paul? Well, it was the end of the roll and probably not sticky enough. Never mind. I’m going to check your ropes now and I don’t want you to move. Do you understand?”

They all nodded. Eve decided there was no point begging for mercy. James was going to do what he wanted, but she somehow had a feeling he wasn’t going to kill them. As he wouldn’t be able to get Jennifer’s money now, there was no point killing an extra three people. He was probably going to cut his losses and run, but whatever was in those syringes would probably knock them out for a long time.

“Right, you first, Paul.” James stated, completely without emotion.

“You’ll never get the money now, James; you do know that, don’t you?” Paul said. “And I don’t know how you thought you’d get it if you shot me.”

“I wasn’t going to shoot you. I know that wouldn’t have got me the money. I was just trying to show you who was boss, but then everything went wrong. This really is your fault, Jane, coming into the sitting room when you did. You spoilt my plans. I’m not too happy with you, but I refuse to get caught and put in jail.”

“Please don’t kill me. Last night was wonderful. I thought...”

“Don’t think about last night. That time is over. You ended it, not me. I should kill you, my darling, but I’m not one to take revenge. You will meet the same fate as the others.”

 I was right; he’s not going to murder us, thought Eve, or is he lulling us into a false sense of security?

“And you, Eve Masters, always poking you nose in where it’s not wanted. You should listen to David and stop playing detective.”

Eve felt herself going red. James might be a killer, but he was right. Why hadn’t she listened to David? If she lived through this and he forgave her, she would never ever again interfere in anybody’s lives again. Of that she was certain.

James moved towards Paul with the first syringe. Paul sat completely still while James injected him. He knew there was no point struggling. Next he went to Jane. What a pity. She was beautiful and she did everything he wanted her to. She would have made a perfect wife.

Jane started weeping again and James, refusing to look at her face, injected the syringe into her thin arm. Then he went to Eve. She had decided to act like Paul and not say a word, but in the end she couldn’t help herself.

“You really are a nasty piece of work, aren’t you James. It was bad enough killing your aunt, but what you did to Jane beggar’s belief.”

“You had to have the last word, didn’t you, Eve. You couldn’t just sit there and take it like Paul. I don’t know how David puts up with you.”

“Oh shut up and get on with it,” she replied. “It’ll be worth it not to have to see your face again.”

However, she was trembling, hoping that it was just something that would make them sick and not kill them.

James sat and watched, his face expressionless. Eve didn’t say another word to him, but she couldn’t believe he could just sit there looking at Jane, the woman he had professed his love to.

Jane had moved closer to Paul and leant her head against him for comfort, but Eve saw no change in James’s expression, not that Eve felt she was doing it to make him jealous. She was just scared.

Jane was affected by whatever was in the syringe first. She felt sick and dizzy.

Oh no, I’m going to die, she thought.

Then she felt something running out of her nose and noticed drops of blood on her clothes. Tears started to fall, but she wanted them to stop. She didn’t want James to see how vulnerable she was.

James tried not to look at her. Visions of the previous night flashed through his mind. Why couldn’t he be completely cold hearted? Life would be much easier.

And why did Paul have to turn up so quickly this morning? he asked himself.

    James had phoned his lawyer in London about Jennifer’s Will and had been informed that Paul was the sole beneficiary as he was Jennifer’s son. It had been a total shock.

James had been straight on the phone to Paul telling him they needed to talk. He hadn’t expected Paul to come straight over. If he hadn’t, James would have been able to form a plan and none of this need have happened. Yes, he could have planted strychnine somewhere in Paul’s house and engineered for it to be discovered. He wasn’t sure how, but he would have worked it out. James was nothing if not resourceful. Then Paul would have been arrested for Jennifer’s murder and he and Jane would have lived happily ever after. But he had to forget these thoughts and concentrate on the future. He had to forget about the money and about going back to England. The people he owed cash to would be on his back straight away if he returned home.

He was jolted out of these thoughts by Jane being sick. Paul now had his head on his knees so it didn’t look as if he felt too good either. Eve was retching and it seemed as if she too would be sick at any minute. He glanced at Jane and it seemed as if she had passed out.

That was very quick, but then she is quite fragile.  

He turned towards Paul, not wanting to look at Jane anymore. Paul, who was as white as a sheet, tried to get up. With his legs tied up, he naturally fell over and started coughing before he too was sick.

Eve felt her head would explode and the pains in her abdomen were getting worse. For a moment, she wished she would pass out like Jane, but then changed her mind, thinking she might never wake up again. However, Jane wasn’t dead. Eve could see her chest going up and down. There was still hope.

Paul, lying on the ground, felt his vision go blurry and he shut his eyes. He was tired anyway. His stomach hurt and he wished he could go to sleep. If he died, he died. Anything would be better than this pain

    
James got up and looked at them. Jane was definitely out and Paul seemed to be. He kicked him and Paul moaned, but didn’t say anything. He went over to Eve, who stared at him.

“Well, I’ll be off then,” he said to her. “I’m sure it won’t be too long before you’re found.”

“You won’t get away with it,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder.

“Perhaps, perhaps not.”

James turned and left the room, locking the door behind him. He picked up a suitcase he had left in the hall and got into his car.   

Around five that afternoon, David came downstairs. He had been totally engrossed in his work and hadn’t realized what the time was. He saw Portia standing at the door, wanting to go into the garden. He let her out, but thought it was a little odd. Eve tended to walk the dog for about an hour around three thirty, so why did Portia want to go out again so soon; and where was Eve?

“Eve,” he called out a couple of times.

There was no reply, so he looked outside. Her car was in the driveway so she couldn’t have gone far. Perhaps she’d popped out to the local shop.

David went and made a coffee, but when Eve hadn’t returned half an hour later, he started to become concerned. It would be getting dark soon and she wouldn’t normally go for a walk alone in the fading light. He told himself he was being silly, but with the murder still being unsolved and Eve being Eve, anything could have happened.

David picked up the phone and tried Eve’s mobile. When she didn’t answer, he tried another number.

“Annie, hello, I was wondering if you’d seen Eve this afternoon.”

“No, I’m afraid not. Why? Have you lost her?”

“I’ve been so involved in work that I lost all track of time and when I came downstairs, she wasn’t here.”

“Oh I’m sure she’ll come home soon. She’s probably just gone to the shop.”

“You’re probably right. Thanks, Annie.”

He tried Jane next, but again there was no reply. David was becoming anxious. Where else could she be? She didn’t get on with Betty or Lucy, so there was little chance she would be with either of them.

What was he to do? This didn’t feel right to him. She had said she wouldn’t get involved in the murder again, but this was Eve he was talking about. She could have suddenly come up with an idea and thrown caution to the wind.

Portia wanted to come back in, so David opened the door, but he couldn’t settle. In the end, he grabbed his car keys and decided to drive slowly around the village to see if he could spot Eve.

It took very little time at all and it was a fruitless journey, but David decided to stop at Annie and Pete’s before going home.

“You really are worried about her, aren’t you?” Annie said, answering the door. “I must admit, I am too.”

Pete came to the door and stood behind his wife.

“Have you tried anywhere else?” he asked.

“No, I did ring Jane earlier, but she wasn’t at home, nor did she answer her mobile. That made me a little nervous as well.”

“Look, we’ll go and see if Betty and Don or Kevin and Lucy have seen her. I know it’s unlikely, but it’s worth a check. One of them might have been driving and spotted her. You go to Jane’s, James’s and Paul’s.”

“Okay. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.”

Betty and Don and Kevin and Lucy lived in the next village. They parted company and David headed first to Jane’s house and then to Paul’s, both of which he found in darkness.

* * * *

Once James had gone, Eve tried to call out to Paul, but she could barely speak. He looked like he’d passed out anyway. She lay back. Her head was spinning and she wished she’d never come out that afternoon. However, she was sure David would find them soon. That is if he ever stopped writing.

Unfortunately, the time dragged on and nobody came to rescue them.

Damn you, David, stop writing and come and look for me, Eve begged.

She immediately felt guilty. It wasn’t his fault she was in this mess. It was hers. Why hadn’t she told David she was going out and where she was heading? Why had she been so stupid? He would probably have stopped her going and she would have been cross with him, but at least she would have been safe.

Eve looked at the others. Jane was still out cold, but finally Paul was stirring. She had been scared of never waking up again and had refused to let herself drop off, doing everything in her power to stay awake.